


promise (i'll keep it this time)

by Iwashima



Series: Introspections [1]
Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Gen, I'm new to using 3rd person so sorry for mistakes, I'm not that advanced lmao, Spoilers for Season 2, a bit of introspection, abe wants him to keep smiling, again: this tagging system is fun, ahh i loved season 2 episode 13, can't blame the guy, im done now i swear, just a bit, mihashi is a precious cinnamon roll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 01:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5950285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iwashima/pseuds/Iwashima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"A-Abe-kun.." Mihashi's tremulous voice carried, hazel eyes downcast as he tried to ignore Tajima's presence just a few steps away from him, talking with Abe's younger brother.</p><p>Abe waited, with patience that came easily today after everything, silently studying Mihashi's quirks of timidness, the eyes that went everywhere but near Abe's own, the twitches his body seemed to do unconsciously... but he easily ignored those things that would usually piss him off to no end on any other day. He seemed to be getting better at that, as time went on, and the longer they were a battery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	promise (i'll keep it this time)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry in advance if characters are too terribly OOC. I'm just writing for the hell of it tbh but I couldn't decide what to write??? So this just kinda... happened. Plus, I haven't seen Oofuri in awhile either, aah.
> 
> Sudden inspiration from this tumblr post (they're adorable, aren't they?): http://hanatsuki89.tumblr.com/post/138625563188/little-break-from-my-hiatus-to-draw-my-favourite

At Nishiura high school, everyone on the team was cleaning up. Which was going better than usual, as everyone was actually concentrating on the work instead of certain individuals (mainly Tajima, Izumi, and Mizutani) messing around with everything and everyone else. As Mihashi was about to change shirts in the dugout so he could get to his own cleaning duty, he hears his phone vibrate against the wooden seats, and simultaneously sees his phone's screen alert him of a text. Flinching slightly, Mihashi nervously scanned his eyes back and forth for no good reason than a nervous habit he had attained over time, and he cautiously picked it up, like it was fragile, and would easily break from the slightest touch. He held it in between his hands, swallowing, because _'what if it was Abe-kun?'_ and he knows that he seems really weird about just a text -- and the look their manager Chiyo is giving him certainly speaks volumes of that fact -- and he just decided to suck it up and open the phone.

_Abe Takaya._

Mihashi froze, instant reminders of last time when he didn't answer Abe's text filling his mind, and he slowly moved his eyes downwards to actually read it.

_Reply When You Read This._

A bad sign already, for Mihashi. He could already feel his temples throbbing from when Abe would dig his fists into them whenever Mihashi's diffident stuttering came into the open.

_I want to talk with you about a lot of things._

Mihashi had no idea what to think about that.

He just stood there, frozen for a while, until Hanai came up and broke him out of his stupor. Mihashi rushed a bit to respond, stuttering, when Chiyo suggested to go visit Abe instead. Mihashi wasn't sure what to think about that idea, he was torn down the middle, like one of his fastballs. He wanted to go, to see if Abe was doing okay, maybe tell him to get better soon, but maybe that was a bit too selfish of him to want? Abe had to go at his own pace after all... Then there was the side that didn't want to go. Mihashi didn't want to disappoint him in some way, like he usually seemed too.

But then Chiyo took the time to even make a map for Mihashi, with Sakaeguchi suggesting that he go too so he wouldn't get lost, followed by Tajima. The team agreed that Mihashi should go, all smiles and reassurances thrown his way when he only stared at them with what was probably a dumb look on his face.

Mihashi sometimes wondered what he did to get such nice people surrounding him.

 

\------

 

Mihashi appreciated Sakaeguchi and Tajima going along even more as they approached the house.

"This is it." Sakaeguchi says lightly, smiling a bit when Mihashi unknowingly relaxes for a second. Sakaeguchi presses the button under the 'Abe' name tag, and not even a minute later, what seems to be Abe's younger sibling opens the door, smiling wide -- a pure contrast to Abe himself. Mihashi wonders if Abe had ever smiled that wide before.

The tiny Abe runs towards them with a satisfied smile, yelling an enthusiastic "Welcome!" their way. Tajima bows his torso in the slightest way with a 'hey', and Mihashi bows a little lower, still holding onto his bag in his hands, uttering a 'hi'. The kid is absolutely ecstatic with Tajima, immediately striking up a conversation with the older boy, telling him the team he's on (Kawaguchi Eagles), and even saying things about Tajima's old team Ara-Sea, and how they won the championship again. Mihashi gets an explanation of the difference between Boys' teams and the Seniors', all the while making his way into the house. It was a nice distraction, and he had completely forgotten where he was for a second, until he and Sakaeguchi go to the room Abe happens to be in.

Mihashi is hit with the fact that he's at _Abe's house_ all of a sudden, and tenses right back up as he jumps a bit in surprise. There Abe sits, in a brown chair with arm rests, with his knee elevated on blue cushions. Sakaeguchi casually strolls in while taking a seat in front of Abe, easily talking with him, but Mihashi strays behind, not exactly sure what to do.

Mihashi looks around, just for a place to start. The room is a bit bare besides Abe being in here, with a table and the cushions, and Mihashi automatically assumes that it wasn't his room. Probably a spare.

"Is this your guest room? It feels like we're being welcomed." Sakaeguchi smiles his friendly smile, and Mihashi wonders if he could read minds. "I didn't bring a gift, though."

"My room is on the second floor, and with my knee it's hard going up and down, so I usually rest in here." Abe replies, placing the newspaper he had down on the floor next to him for easy reach. He shifts a bit, likely finding a more comfortable position, like he was in the same spot for a long time.

"Ah, that's right.. it's your knee, after all." Sakaeguchi glances at it before looking back at Abe.

"Yeah! Your knee!"

Mihashi's still standing by the door when Tajima's voice loudly blares into the small room, and consequently, into Mihashi's left ear as well. He ignores it, seeing how Tajima strolls in front of Abe, looking him straight in the eyes, and asks what'll happen with him and the Newcomer's Tournament, a question everyone on the team was interested in.

 

\------

 

Mihashi wanted to play with Abe. He knew that as a fact. They were a battery, Nishiura's battery at that. At Mihoshi, Mihashi didn't feel needed, because Kanou was obviously the better pitcher. But Nishiura was different... They respected him, and his skills, a major contrast from Mihoshi. He was glad when he and his old team weren't on bad terms anymore, but Mihashi felt that he could be a real ace if Abe was by his side, guiding him. He thought that Abe surely had some high expectations because he was a catcher for an amazing pitcher like Haruna, but he did want to go to Koushien and he did want to win it. He knew that he had set high expectations when he wrote it down on the piece of paper, but a goal was a goal.

Like Tajima said, a goal isn't really a goal without it being a little unrealistic. But when Suyama said that having a goal that's unrealistic is like not having one at all, Mihashi had second doubts. With the game they lost, everyone was in low spirits, he knew... but he felt that this team could do it. He wanted to go far into Koushien... with this team.

This team, that had already done so much more than he thought a team could. This team, that let him have a chance at being a real ace, and not just someone brought to that glorious number 1 from something as demeaning as nepotism. This team, that were becoming his friends.

Yes... he wanted to go far with this team, with Nishiura.

But he couldn't say it. He didn't know how to put it in words, and he thought it was a bit selfish to be put down as a goal. So he used an excuse, though it was poor.

_"I... didn't give it... much thought... I'm sorry."_

 

\------

 

"I'll just barely make it."

Mihashi was relieved, though he didn't show it.

There was still a chance, however small.

Though Mihashi did want Abe to heal, at the same time.

"At the Newcomer's Tournament, I'll play catcher, so you should let it heal properly."

Mihashi felt as torn as Abe looked.

 

\------

 

After Sakaeguchi had left, saying that his little brother was home alone, and after Tajima had been asked by Abe's little brother to look at his swing, they were left alone. Mihashi was finally sitting, although formally, because Sakaeguchi had pushed him to sit down right before he left. Tajima and Abe's brother had already told Abe what he wanted for dinner, but Mihashi just couldn't pick.

"Eel... Cut... Tem..." He kept repeating the words, and Abe could feel his anger rise to the point it was using to rising to by now.

"Pork cutlet bowl and eel box, right?!" Abe shouted, teeth clenched in anger, a tick mark near his temple.

"I-I-I'll take the pork cutlet bowl!" Mihashi stuttered furiously, recoiling in shock due to the volume.

 _Ah, I should try to talk to him at least... about what he wanted to talk about over text.. I'll do my best._  were Mihashi's determined thoughts, but he knew it was harder in practice.

Abe ordered the food, ending the call with a 'thank you', and Mihashi turned to watch the tv behind him, before rustling paper reached his ears, and he turned to face Abe once more. Abe had thrown the newspaper that was near his seat towards him, and Mihashi gingerly picked it up, opening it.

"This newspaper has today's results."

Mihashi's eyes scanned through, looking at all of the different teams scores. "Wow, fast.."

"It's the evening edition."

"Oh.." Mihashi absently said, still concentrating on the paper. His eyes found their own score, and he gazed at it. Memories of the game flashed through, as well as everyone's dejected faces when they lost, as well as the team meeting earlier, where they had written their goals down on paper. Where he had crossed his out, using an excuse...

_Did it count as a goal...?_

"We lost, huh." Abe's voice pierced the silence that had appeared for a brief amount of time. Mihashi looked up, lowering the newspaper from near his face, and looked at Abe. He didn't know what he was trying to say, as he couldn't read his face. He glanced downwards for a moment, before looking Abe in the face once more.

"Yeah."

Abe quickly turned off the T.V. with the remote, before setting it down where it was before. Mihashi, at the same time, was starting to fold the newspaper to set it aside.

"So, about my mail-" Abe was cut off by Mihashi's squeak of half-terror, his fingers almost ripping the newspaper in his haste to set it aside and put his hands back in his lap.

"I-I-I'm sorry I didn't r-reply!" Mihashi felt nervous, but that was nothing new.

Abe sighed, yet smiled subtly in amusement, "Geez, forget about the subject line. It's about the content."

"U-Um, I.. have something to say..-" Abe's small smile disappeared, and an eyebrow was raised in slight confusion.

"Say?"

"-to you too!" Mihashi finished, looking back into Abe's eyes.

"What is it?"

Mihashi promptly flapped his mouth open and closed a few times, not quite sure what to say. Abe shook his head.

"I'll start, then." He used his left arm to move his position closer to Mihashi, and Mihashi stayed as still as he could.

After a second, Abe bowed as much as he could with his raised leg. "I broke my promise. I'm sorry."

Mihashi just stared, feeling himself go a bit pale. "Um.. what..?"

But Abe continued right on. "I promised I wouldn't get sick or injured, and that I would catch in all of the games that you pitch in."

 _He.. meant that? Wasn't he just trying to reassure me that one time? I was the one who.._ Mihashi thoughts portrayed that he didn't feel like Abe was right; Abe was amazing, after all. He had been Mihashi's catcher all this time, had let Mihashi rely on him. Abe had even told Mihashi that he would make him a true ace, and had even been going through on that promise. It was more than Mihashi could've asked for.

"That.. that was because I was pathetic.. so you.. wanted to reassure me.."

"Even so!" Abe yelled, face flying upwards, and they gazed at each other again, though the air was definitely more sentimental. "I was happy when you gained confidence when I would catch!" Abe looked down at his knee, teeth clenched in slight distress, before confidently looking Mihashi in the eyes for the nth time that night. "I'm frustrated by myself, so let me apologize! I'm sorry!"

"O-okay.."

"I know I told you to never shake off a sign when we first met, but I'm sorry about that too! It was a mistake." Abe bowed his head another time, and then earnestly looked back up. Mihashi already knew by now that Abe meant everything he said, even if he felt that he didn't have to apologize for things like this.

Mihashi remember that he wanted to talk to Abe about things too, like the meeting earlier, the game, being relied on, a lot of things.. he glanced sideways, collecting his thoughts as Abe still stared him in the face, and looked back at him. "I wanted to talk to you, too.."

He glanced down to the hands in his lap before continuing. "I shook off a sign today... and it felt like I.. was talking with Tajima. I... was relied on by Tajima." He wanted Abe to rely on him too, and for it to stop being just the other way around. He wanted to become a person who could do that too, for someone as amazing as Abe.. to rely on someone like Mihashi... Mihashi's fists curled into balls.

...That would make Mihashi happy.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Mihashi finished his previous sentence, and Abe nodded, replying with a heartfelt, yet somber tone.

"Yeah, it is."

Mihashi heard the tone, and felt his hands curl even tighter into themselves. How to explain what he truly wanted to say in words...

It was difficult. Mihashi wasn't used to doing things like this with anybody, even Tajima. Tajima understood him somehow, but this was something Tajima couldn't be here to translate. Even if he was, Mihashi wanted to say it himself.

"I.." He false-started, before trying again. "I... was always relying on you." Mihashi closed his eyes tightly, before continuing. "I.." He opened his eyes, looking at Abe with pleading eyes.

"...I'll work hard... so Abe-kun, please rely on me!"

They stared at eachother for what seemed like hours, and the mutual emotions they felt filled the air. Abe was amazed. Mihashi was earnest. Mihashi told Abe what he wanted to say. Abe listened, and understood.

"Got it." Abe's countenance was as serious as ever, but it had a softer edge to it, that even Mihashi could clearly see. "Let's both get better!"

Mihashi felt the emotion behind his words, and before he could help it, his eyes widened, his lips twitching at the corners without him noticing, and...

He smiled, a real one that had his eyes closing and his mouth forming into a grin. The first one Abe had seen. "Yeah!"

Abe was captivated.

\------

Later, outside the Abe house (and after Mihashi showed Abe the team's goals, Abe and Mihashi talking about them while Abe decided to go with 'Koushien Champions' as well as eat the delivery that eventually came afterwards), Mihashi and Tajima were getting ready to leave. Shun, Abe's brother, had followed them out and was thanking Tajima profusely, as Abe came out with crutches. Mihashi was sad to leave, but knew that today, he had made the right choice in going to visit Abe, like his teammates had said.

"Thank you, too." Abe told Mihashi with a slight smile. Mihashi nodded, opening his mouth to say something, before closing it, then trying again.

"A-Abe-kun.." Mihashi's tremulous voice carried, hazel eyes downcast as he tried to ignore Tajima's presence just a few steps away from him, talking with Abe's younger brother.

Abe waited, with patience that came easily today after everything, silently studying Mihashi's quirks of timidness, the eyes that went everywhere but near Abe's own, the twitches his body seemed to do unconsciously... but he easily ignored those things that would usually piss him off to no end on any other day. He seemed to be getting better at that, as time went on, and the longer they were a battery.

"D-do your best to get better.. so.." Mihashi looked back up. "Take care..."

Abe balanced more on his crutches before answering, small smile taking over his features once more. Shun turned around as Tajima was going on his bike, in time to hear the last snippet Abe had to say. "I'll come to camp, so I'll see you then."

Once again, Mihashi smiled that wide smile of his, although not as big as the one in the room, it still had Abe slightly captivated.

Apparently, it also had Shun captivated too.

After Mihashi and Tajima had left, Abe was about to go in the house, when Shun asked him who the other guy was that was with Tajima. "You mean Mihashi?"

"The pitcher?" Shun's easy smile turned more excited. "Oh, he has such a nice smile. I kinda like that. Doesn't he, Takaya?"

 _Yeah, he does._ But Abe just sighed, exasperated. The first and second smile had taken him forever to even see behind all of his stuttering and weird faces, and Shun just gets to see it for free?

"You've never had to work a day in your life, have you?"

"Eh? What?"

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> See you next time.


End file.
